A Remainder of One

by Elinor J Pinczes, Bonnie MacKain (Illustrator)

Overview

When the queen of her bugs demands that her army march in even lines, Private Joe divides the marchers into more and more lines so that he will not be left out of the parade.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618250776
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/26/2002
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	216,703
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.12(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Elinor Pinczes and Randall Enos have collaborated together on another book for children, My Full Moon Is Square. Ms. Pinczes is the author of several other books for young readers. She lives with her husband in Bozeman, Montana. Mr. Enos’s illustrations have appeared in books, magazines, and newspapers for more than forty-five years. He lives in Easton, Connecticut, with his wife.

Bonnie MacKain has had illustrations featured in Cricket and Ladybug.
 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Pinczes and MacKain apply numerical division to a practical problem—and explain it in an entertaining, visually emphatic way." Publishers Weekly, Starred

Editorial Reviews

"Pinczes and MacKain apply numerical division to a practical problem — and explain it in an entertaining, visually emphatic way." Publishers Weekly, Starred —

From the Publisher

As they did in One Hundred Hungry Ants, Pinczes and MacKain apply numerical division to a practical problem-and explain it in an entertaining, visually emphatic way. Keeping to the insect theme, Pinczes introduces the ``25th Army Corps,'' a regiment of 25 beetles on parade. Their blue bug queen ``likes things tidy,'' and when the bugs march two by two, she notices that one bug brings up the rear. The unfortunate Joe has to stand aside rather than be a ``remainder''; on the days that follow, Joe tries dividing the squadron into symmetrical rows of three, then four and, finally, five, when he is at last accommodated. Rather than endorse conformity, this rhyming tale focuses on Joe's search for a solution. And lest squadron-like precision trouble readers, each big-eyed ``bug-soldier'' has a unique patterned shell. MacKain even ensures that the same beetle characters-one with a pointy nose, two wearing glasses, etc.-appear in every spread, allowing readers to play spot-the-bug. Rendered in dusty blues and pasture-green with warm yellow, red and pink accents, her linocut-style art vibrates with energy. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 3-As they did in One Hundred Hungry Ants (Houghton, 1993), Pinczes and MacKain present a mathematical concept through rhyming text and simple illustrations. Here, an army of insects is planning a parade, but each formation that the squadron comes up with for its 25 members-two lines of twelve, three of eight, four of six-leaves Joe Bug standing alone, a remainder of one. After much cogitation, Joe finally comes up with the solution: five lines of five. The rhyming has an old-fashioned tone reminiscent of Peter Newell's books. MacKain's blue bugs are large, friendly looking, and anthropomorphic. The queen has blonde curls. This will provide a fine accompaniment to a math lesson on division. Children will identify with Joe's predicament-being left out again and again-and will certainly have a clearer understanding of remainders after reading this story.-Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ

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